Open GIS Symposium and Summer School 2015

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Jul 20, 2015 - United Kingdom, Cyprus, Hungary, Greece) and Nigeria, Somalia and ... eradication, gender equality, food security, and the preservation of ecosystems. ..... a direct bus service connecting Athens International Airport with ...
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Open GIS Symposium and Summer School 2015 «Building up Open Source for OPENCOAST» CHANIA G REECE, 20-24 JULY 2015

University of the Aegean and hosted by MAICH

Proceedings

Organized by:

University of the Aegean MAICH (Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania)

The “OPENGIS” Symposium and the Summer School is taking place under the umbrella of MEDFRIEND UNESCO. The event is organized by the University of the Aegean (UoAeg) and the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICh) and it takes place at the facilities of MAICh in Chania, Crete, Greece.

Organizing Committee  Tzoraki Ourania University of the Aegean, Marine Sciences Department of the Aegean University Tel: +30 6974029367 [email protected]

 Kalaitzidis Chariton MAICH (Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania), researcher and coordinator of the Geoinformation in Environmental Management Programm of the MAICh [email protected]

 Velegrakis Antonis University of the Aegean, Marine Sciences Department of the Aegean University [email protected]

Foreword MEDFRIEND program (UNESCO-IHP) supports “OPENGIS” Symposium and Summer School that is held between 20-24/07/2015 in Chania of Crete, Greece. The event is organized by the University of the Aegean (UoAeg) and the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICh) and it takes place at the facilities of MAICh in Chania, Crete, Greece. The Summer School is opening with one day symposium on Open Source software, Open Data and coastal environment-driven Open innovation research. The theme of the symposium is “Building up Open Source for OPENCOAST”, according the Blue Growth, long term of the Europe 2020 strategy. Key issues are discussed on Open research-data-software applications to ecosystems resilience in relation to water resources, climate change, management and protection of coastal zones. Significant key – note speakers are contributing in the oral presentation session and “OPENGIS” participants are presenting their work in the special organized for them poster session and in the current abstract proceedings e-book of the symposium. For instance Prof. Panayiotis Partsinevelos (TUC, Crete) presents novel techniques in spatial data analysis. Dany Ghosn, researcher of the “Junicoast- Best Life Nature Project 2014” explains project achievements and initiatives for the protection of the vulnerable coastal areas. Dr. Pavlogiorgatos Gerasimos, coordinator of the “Cross-border cooperation for Maritime Spatial Planning Development” presents the outcomes of the strategic project “Cross-border Cooperation for Maritime Spatial Planning Development- THAL-CHOR”. The Summer School consists of four days of demonstrations and hands-on experience on using Open Source GIS software in a number of applications. It offers an introduction to the concepts behind GIS, the types of data used, the manner in which they are structured and analysed, projection and geographic coordinate systems and data representation, as well as basic data analysis. These theoretical concepts are followed by specific applications focusing on topics such as coastal agriculture, coastal forestry, water and coastal zone management. GIS open access based models are demonstrated e.g. QSWAT, LOICZ, InVest, XBeach models. A field trip will be organized to coastal sites of significant scientific interest where GIS have been used in order to assist decision making and provide optimum planning. The activities during the Summer School are designed to include all participants. The profile of the participants enrolled in the “OPENGIS” includes young professionals, scientists, public employees, researchers, educators, PhD students. The selection of the participants was based on responses to essay questions regarding motivation as well as past and future involvement in issues to be tackled during the Summer school. In addition, participants professional and educational background should ensure the implementation and dissemination of the knowledge acquired during the Summer School and Symposium. Participants are coming by CIHEM countries (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies, i.e. Algeria, France), European Union member states (i.e. Slovakia, United Kingdom, Cyprus, Hungary, Greece) and Nigeria, Somalia and Indonesia. The number of students selected corresponds to fifty percent (50%) of the participants. Lastly, balance in terms of region and gender was respected in the final selection.

Members of the Organizing Committee is Tzoraki Ourania and Adonis Velegrakis, both faculty members of the Marine Sciences Department of the Aegean University, and Chariton Kalaitzidis, researcher and coordinator of the Geoinformation in Environmental Management Programme of the MAICh. It must be mentioned that the summer school design and delivery is based on the substantial relevant experience of the organizing team, who have already presented previous and current versions of Open software toolboxes in training workshops of UNEP in the Caribbean (Kingston, 2011) and the Mediterranean (Tunis-June 2014 and Istanbul-October 2014) as well as in Germany (Leibniz University of Hannover-September 2014). The MEDFRIEND program (UNESCO-IHP) program aims at promoting collaborative research and training activities related to hydrology, between all country members around the Mediterranean. The choice of UNESCO to support this OPENGIS 2015 Symposium and Summer school is due of course to the high quality of the event, which aims as well at bringing regional specialists together as well as to teach young researchers some technical issues with an “open access” software. It is also due to the topic of the event, as the coastal areas in the Mediterranean are dangerously at risk following the sea level increase, and the international interest is rapidly increasing about this. The organizers of this event are internationally recognized in their research field, and are willing to disseminate their experience and findings to other groups in the region of the East Mediterranean. This and other considerations as the place given to the training of students and young researchers, encouraged UNESCO to give a support. In the name of UNESCO MEDFRIEND group, I thank the organizers for this very interesting event, and I hope that the participants and trainees will find a large interest for their knowledge and future collaborations.

Yours sincerely, Gil Mahe Research Director Institut de Recherche pour le Développement Hydro Sciences Montpellier Laboratory Regional Coordinator of the MEDFRIEND program

Foreword Freshwater is a key resource for human health, prosperity and security. It is essential for poverty eradication, gender equality, food security, and the preservation of ecosystems. Yet billions of people worldwide are confronted with serious freshwater challenges, from water scarcity, poor quality, lack of sanitation facilities, to water-related disasters such as floods and droughts. Almost half of the world’s population will be living in areas with high water stress by 2030. The UN General Assembly declared access to clean water and sanitation a human right in July 2010. But lack of access to drinking water of adequate quality and quantity remains one of the largest human health problems globally. Although the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target on water supply was met in 2010, more than 700 million people still lack access to safe drinking water, nearly half are living in sub-Saharan Africa. The MDG target on sanitation is unlikely to be met; if current trends continue, 2.4 billion people will not have access to improved sanitation facilities in 2015, a large majority of those from rural areas. Water resources are under increasingly severe pressure from climate change and other global drivers. Climate change alters rainfall patterns, soil moisture, humidity, glacier-mass balance and river flow, and also causes changes to underground water sources. At the same time, floods or droughts are rising in frequency and intensity. Over the next 40 years, approximately 800,000 new residents will move to cities around the world every week. Population growth and rapid urbanization will create further pressures on water resources and will have a tremendous impact on the natural environment. Deteriorating water infrastructure in many parts of the world will impact public health and the environment. Given these challenges, the need to manage freshwater properly is essential. Sustainable water management should be at the heart of the post-2015 development agenda, with water-specific goals explicitly linked to other goals and climate-related issues. The International Hydrological Programme (IHP) is the only intergovernmental programme of the UN system devoted to the scientific, educational and capacity building aspects of hydrology. UNESCO has long recognized the importance of hydrology for the rational utilization of water resources. Since its inception in 1975, IHP has evolved from an internationally coordinated hydrological research programme into a comprehensive programme to facilitate education and capacity building, and enhance water resources management and governance. The programme, implemented in six year phases and, from 2014 onwards, in eight-year phases, stimulates and encourages hydrological research, and assists Member States in research and training activities. IHP facilitates an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to watershed and aquifer management, which incorporates the social dimension of water resources, and promotes and develops international research in hydrological and freshwater sciences. Our fate is intrinsically bound to the fate of our water resources. To build the future we want, we need to harness the contributions of science and innovation for water security. Based on the needs and priorities of Member States, IHP-VIII focuses on six knowledge areas: (i) mobilizing international cooperation to improve knowledge and innovation to address water security challenges, (ii) strengthening the sciencepolicy interface to reach water security at local, national, regional, and global levels and (iii) on developing institutional and human capacities for water security and sustainability.

The role of human behavior, cultural beliefs and attitudes to water, and socioeconomic research to better understand and develop tools to adapt to changing water availability are some of the issues to be addressed. IHP-VIII will bring multidisciplinary, environmentally-sound, innovative methods, tools and approaches into play by capitalizing on advances in water sciences, as well as build competences to meet today’s global water challenges. National Committees, UNESCO centers and chairs will play an important role in this process. Kind regards Demuth, Siegfried Chief of Section, Hydrological Systems and Climate Change

Introduction & Objectives The sustainable management of the coastal zone is a crucial exercise, not only due to the critical socioeconomic role of the coastal areas, but also because of their increasing vulnerability under the rapidly changing environmental, social and economic conditions. Integrated approaches are needed that could address (a) the challenges posed by the ever-increasing development and conflicting uses of the coastal zone and (b) the impacts of environmental change. The process should be driven by appropriately formulated/structured policies that contain efficient checks/balances and involve effective environmental regulation. With regard to the EU Member States, coastal environmental regulation consists of several tiers, i.e. international/regional, European and national regulation. There are international Conventions that regulate, amongst others, maritime zone delimitation and uses, marine conservation and pollution prevention, preparedness and response. There are regional Conventions (i.e. the Helsinki, OSPAR and Barcelona Conventions) that provide for the conservation of the European coastal regions, whereas there is also an increasing volume of pertinent environmental tools. All these regulatory instruments and management tools form a complex framework which, nevertheless, must be comprehended/mastered by coastal managers, scientists/engineers and stakeholders. The general objective of the OPENGIS2015 summer school is to advance knowledge in coastal areas management by a comprehensive plan of lectures and practicals, where individual skills growth is supported by the use of an open access Geographical Information system. The main objectives include:     

demonstration of various model, methodologies and tools for coastal areas assessment and management based on open access GIS; applications in relevant case studies in Europe; increase modeling capacities for coastal hazard mitigation/adaption; plan and conduct a field campaign demonstrating the current situation of Cretan coastal areas and management efforts; strengthen quality of European research by developing international collaborations.

The five days summer school will be realised by a multi-disciplinary team consisting of lecturers/scholars from the existing academic staff of Department of Marine Studies of the University of the Aegean (UoAg) and Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICH) as well as selected invited Greek and foreign experts. Scientists from several organizations (UNESCO, Technical University of Crete, WWF, Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics (IACM-CLR), FORTH, UoAg, Technological Educational Institute of Crete, MAICH) present in a joint effort focused research on specific scientific challenges in coastal science fields. Teaching will employ a classic as well as an e-learning approach (e-class) that will be available through the UoAg web. Knowledge delivery is through a series of lectures, computer- based work and coursework. The distance learning platform of the university (www.eclass.aegean.gr) is used for files exchange such as files, data, tutorials, literature, grades and instructor announcements

The summer school OPENGIS2015 (3 ETCS) will introduce the concepts behind GIS, the spatial data analysis and projection, the characteristics and relevance of the international and European environmental regulatory framework for the ICZM, with special emphasis on the Mediterranean region. It will provide knowledge on the needs and emerging challenges to an integrated approach in the coastal zone management as well as on existing management tools. The course will follow a multidisciplinary approach which includes, amongst others, integrated workshops for the demonstration and training in user friendly (in GUI format), open source science-based tools to address specific issues related to the ICZM (e.g. the delimitation of set-back zones under a changing climate); these tools will be made available to all participants to the course. The final student assessment will be based on (a) a group practical exercises involving the use of demonstrated tools and (c) an individual study/presentation on a particular (European or international) environmental problem relevant to ICZM. It is envisaged that the OPENGIS2015 will promote interest in the vital role that the modern tools such as OPENGIS, QSWAT, INVEST, XBEACH play on the environmental, social and economic development of the European coasts and demonstrate the significance/added value of the integrated approaches. The multidisciplinary nature of the OPENGIS2015 participants that are coming from Algeria, France, Slovakia, United Kingdom, Cyprus, Hungary, Greece, Nigeria, Somalia and Indonesia, as well as their professional and educational background should ensure the implementation and dissemination of the knowledge acquired during the Summer School and Symposium.

Tzoraki Ourania, Ass. Professor

Kalaitzidis Chariton

Velegrakis Adonis, Professor

Marine Science Department, University of the Aegean

Research and Studies coordinator of the Geoinformation in Environmental Management programme, International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies / Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania

Topic of Speech 1. Spatial consciousness… the missing link? Panayiotis Partsinevelos Asst.Professor,TechnicalUniversityofCrete,Dept.ofMineralResourcesEngineering

2. Monitoring the effects of climate change on treeline shift, through Remote Sensing and GIS Chariton Kalaitzidis Research and Studies coordinator of the Geoinformation in Environmental Management programme, International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies / Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania

3. Mapping and change detection of NATURA 2000 habitat 2250* Juniperus spp.), within the framework of JUNICOAST project

(Coastal dunes with

Panayiotis Nyktas, Dany Goshn Researchers at the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies / Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania

4. Anthropogenic impact on the seawater intrusion rate and the coastal water pollution Stavroulakis Giorgos Professor of Water & Soil Resources Quality Control at the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, School of Applied Sciences, Technological Educational Institute of Crete

5. Marine Spatial Planning in Greece: Lesvos case study Ourania Tzoraki, Gerasimos Pavlogeorgatos Ass. Professors, University of the Aegean 81100 Mytilini, Greece

6. "An outline of WWF Greece’s initiative for the conservation of island wetlands». An outline of WWF Greece’s initiative for the conservation of island wetlands Kaloust Paragamian WWF Greece

POSTER SESSION Presentation of Filoi toy bithou (Marine Depth Friends) actions and photographic archive Charis Karavarakis Filoi toy bithou (Marine Depth Friends)

Program OPENGIS2015 SYMPOSIUM Monday 20th July 2015 09.00 10.00 Registration 10.00 10.30 "Spatial consciousness… the missing link?", Panayiotis Partsinevelos Asst. Professor, Technical University of Crete, Dept. of Mineral Resources Engineering

10.30 11.00 "Monitoring the effects of climate change on treeline shift, through Remote Sensing and GIS", Chariton Kalaitzidis Research and Studies coordinator of the Geoinformation in Environmental Management programme, International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies / Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania

11.00 11.30 "Mapping and change detection of NATURA 2000 habitat 2250* (Coastal dunes with Juniperus spp.), within the framework of JUNICOAST project", Panayiotis Nyktas, Dany Goshn Researchers at the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies / Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania

11.30 12.00 COFFEE BREAK 12.00 12.30 "Anthropogenic impact on the seawater intrusion rate and the coastal water pollution", Stavroulakis Giorgos Professor of Water & Soil Resources Quality Control at the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, School of Applied Sciences, Technological Educational Institute of Crete

12.30 13.00 "Marine Spatial Planning in Greece- Lesvos Case study ", Ourania Tzoraki, Gerasimos Pavlogeorgatos Asst. Professors, University of the Aegean 81100 Mytilini, Greece

13.00 13.30 "An outline of WWF Greece’s initiative for the conservation of island wetlands". An outline of WWF Greece’s initiative for the conservation of island wetlands", Kaloust Paragamian WWF Greece

13.30 15.00 LUNCH 15.00 15.30 Presentation of Fili tou Vithou, Charis Karavarakis 15.30 18.00 Poster Session

Tuesday 21st July 2015 09.00 10.30 10.45 11.15 12.15 12.30 13.30 15.00

10.30 Introduction to GIS, Spatial data and databases (Kalaitzidis) 10.45 COFFEE BREAK 11.15 Coordinate systems – Projection and geographic coordinate systems (Kalaitzidis) 12.15 Elementary QGIS operations (Kalaitzidis) 12.30 COFFEE BREAK 13.30 GIS applications on Agriculture – Precision Agriculture (Kalaitzidis) 15.00 LUNCH 17.00 GIS applications on Forestry - Change Detection (Kalaitzidis)

Wednesday 22nd July 2015 09.00 10.30 10.45 12.15 12.30 13.30 15.00 15.45

10.30 10.45 12.15 12.30 13.30 15.00 15.45 17.00

Overview of river basin and coastal and hydrological models (Tzoraki) COFFEE BREAK Hands –on practical workshop on ARCSWAT (Tzoraki) COFFEE BREAK Hands –on practical workshop on ARCSWAT (Tzoraki) LUNCH Land based fluxes -Introduction to Invest model Hands –on practical workshop for Land-based Pollution models (Tzoraki)

Thursday 23rd July 2015 Excursion 9.00

Departure from MAICh

9:15

Technical University of Crete

10:00 Park for the Preservation of Flora & Fauna 11:00 Museum of Eleftherios Venizelos 12:00 City Hall Reception 13:30 Orthodox Academy of Crete 14:30

Lunch

16:00 Field data gathering 17:00 Return to MAICh

Friday 24th July 2015 09.00

10.30 Introduction to beach morphodynamic models (Monioudi/Kampanis)

10.30 10.45

10.45 COFFEE BREAK 12.15 Hands –on practical workshop for the analysis of cross-shore beach

profiles (Monioudi/ Velegrakis) 12.15 12.30

12.30 COFFEE BREAK 13.30 Hands –on practical workshop for wind data analysis and wind wave

predictions (Monioudi/Velegrakis) 13.30 15.00 LUNCH 15.00 17.00 Hands –on practical workshop for beach morphodynamic models

(Monioudi/Velegrakis) 15.00

17.00 Evaluation- Roundtable

List of Instructors The topic leader SHI SHAOZHONG is a postdoctoral researcher at the National Centre of Geocomputation, National University of Ireland Maynooth. He was a postdoctoral researcher to carry out design and development of a novel type of Internet GIS, at Kingston University, UK. He worked as the Director of Human Resource Development at Shenzhen Centre of the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering for GIS, Remote Sensing and Land Survey, Wuhan University China. He carried out research and teaching at Coventry University and did a substantial amount of teaching at Inverness College of the University of Highland and Islands and Liverpool Hope University, UK respectively. In his long academic career, he has taught a wide range of subjects including Research Methods, Database Design, Geography, Environmental Science, GIS, Remote Sensing. Dr. Shi led the design, development and implementation of ground breaking Web GIS system and software engineering showcase projects and industrial GIS engineering projects internationally. He held two postdoctoral fellowships with Kingston University and National University of Ireland. He obtained a PhD in geography with Coventry University, UK. He has authored and co-authored many internationally peer-reviewed papers. Dr. CHARITON KALAITZIDIS holds a degree in Agriculture since 1999 and an MSc (2000) and a PhD (2005) on Environmental Remote Sensing. He is the Studies and Research Coordinator of the Geoinformation in Environmental Management Department of MAICh since 2012. His main research interests lie in the use of GIS with remote sensing data from field or airborne/ spaceborne platforms, on environmental, ecological and agricultural applications, and in particular, vegetation mapping, forest management and precision agriculture. He has participated in a number of relevant European research projects related to agriculture, forestry and biodiversity. Dr. OURANIA TZORAKI is Assistant Professor, at the Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean. She has more than 15 years research/teaching experience (Technical University of Crete (GR) (2000-2013), Cyprus University of Technology (CY) (2010-2013), Leibniz University of Hannover (09/2014) and University of the Aegean (2013-2015). She has participated as coordinator/principal researcher in several EU-funded or other international and national projects (e.g. temp Qsim, MIRAGE, ENVIFRIENDLY, THAL-CHOR). She has been a member of various international working groups (e.g. Water Directorate EU on RPB). She is (co)author of >70 publications (20 in peer-reviewed international journals) and participated in the development of innovative modeling tools to facilitate river basin management (e.g. in-stream MONERIS and karstic models) and tested novel field technologies (Monitored Natural Attenuation, coastal aquifer recharge with reclaimed water, LSPIV) in various Mediterranean basins. Her research currently focuses on coastal zone management, climate change impact on agriculture and forestry, land based sources, coastal vulnerability, developing and applying methods for ungauged river basins water budget estimation and the impact of climate change. She is the coordinator of the OPENGIS Summer School. The topic leader ADONIS VELEGRAKIS is Professor at the Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean. He has more than 20-year research/teaching experience (National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK) and UoAeg. He has authored/co-authored more than 100 research papers and has led/taken part in numerous relevant national and international projects. He has been scientific expert/consultant for UNEP-Grid, UNEP-MAP, UNECE and WWF and a contributing author of the IPCC-SREX 2012 report.

Dr. ISAVELLA MONIOUDI Research fellow, DMS UoAeg. She holds a BSc in Marine Sciences, an MEng in Water Resources Science and Technology and a PhD in coastal morphodynamics. Her research focuses on coastal morphodynamics, estimation of coastal vulnerability due to climatic change, development/application of coastal morphodynamic models and tools. She has taken part in several relevant research projects and authored/co-authored more than 10 publications. She has more than 3 years teaching experience in coastal morphodynamics and engineering. Her contribution in the ICZPol project will be related to (a) teaching/training of software toolboxes concerning beach morphodynamics during workshops (b) organizing the e-courses and several events (conference, training schools) and (c) administrative support. Dr GEORGE STAVROULAKIS is Professor of Water & Soil Resources Quality Control at the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, School of Applied Sciences, Technological Educational Institute of Crete. His research interests focus on the qualitative parameters and pollution control of drinking, surface, underground and coastal waters. He is scientific coordinator in national and EU co-funded research projects on drinking water quality control of municipal networks, seawater intrusion rate and groundwater quality characteristics, urban runoff and marine water pollution. He is the academic coordinator of the Practical Training Office at the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering. He has coordinated 3 EU co- founded projects on Practical Training of the undergraduate students. He has organized a wide network with professional associates and agents from the private and public sector on renewable energy resources and environmental pollution control. Dr. PANAGIOTIS PARTSINEVELOS is an Assistant Professor in the area of computational analysis in GIS and Remote Sensing. He received his PhD in Spatial Information Science & Engineering from the University of Maine, part of the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA) in USA and NASA Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Applications. He holds a Dipl. Eng. degree in Surveying Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens. He has worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Academic and Research Computer Technology Institute, Greece and as a GIS expert in the public sector. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Mineral Resources Engineering in the Technical University of Crete. His research interests include tangible GIS, gestural interfaces, spatial database querying, multi temporal satellite image processing, cognition, spatiotemporal data management, Unmanned Aerial Systems, spatial topology, visualization, photogrammetry, etc. His work has been published in several journals and conferences and he has received various scientific awards. He has served as a PI and participated as a researcher in national and international research projects (NSF, FP7, etc). Dr. PANAGIOTIS NYKTAS has graduated from the Department of Environmental Sciences of University of Aegean and undertook postgraduate studies on Land Dynamics at the University of Wageningen. He was employed at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania in EU-funded projects regarding management of protected areas and sustainable management of natural resources. He completed his PhD studies with a scholarship at the Department of Geography of the University of Reading on dynamic landscape processes, geomorphology and climatic parameters influencing species distribution in Lefka Ori of Crete. Since 2009 he has been an external expert on various project regarding the management of priority habitats, land use change, assessment of ecosystem services, modelling of landscape processes and others. He is also a member of the governing body of the Management Body of Samaria National Park.

Mr. DANY GHOSN Born in 1971 in Beirut, he studied Agricultural Engineering at the Lebanese University. In 1995, he was awarded a scholarship offered by the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Greece (MAICh) and followed a M.Sc. degree course in Environment and Renewable Resources. In 1998, he was awarded a scholarship offered by the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, (INRA, Avignon-France) and followed a post-graduate degree course in Biology of Evolution and Ecology at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Montpellier (ENSAM). Since 1999 he has been working as a research fellow in Environmental Management at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania. Dr. GIL MAHE is a research Director at IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement). He is an hydroclimatologist with a long experience of work in cooperation in foreign countries (15 years in Senegal, Mali, Burkina-Faso and Morocco). He has driven several international programs or work packages (FAO, Europe, AUF, UNESCO). He has a long experience in editorial work as associate editor of several Journal like Hydrological Sciences Journal, Journal of Water Sciences. He is the actual regional Coordinator of the UNESCO MEDFRIEND IHP program. He is also the Water team leader of the IGCP UNESCO geosciences program. He organized or co-organized numerous workshops and conferences in Africa and Europe in the frame of the FRIEND program (Montpellier, Paris, Istanbul, Rabat, Algiers, Bizerte).

Visiting M.A.I.Ch. The Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania. MAICh is located 3 km south-east of Chania city centre, 13 km from the airport and 2 km from the port of Souda. The city center of Chania can be reached by bus No13. Buses leave every 20min and the bus stop is located outside the MAICh premises on the main street (Souda Avenue). Tickets cost 1.20€ one way and will be available for purchase at MAICh's Restaurant. Please take into consideration that when the ticket is purchased on the bus the price rises for 0,50€. Taxis to the city centre cost about 7-10€. The port of Souda can also be reached by bus. Taxis to Souda cost approximately 3€. There is no direct bus service connecting the airport with MAICh. Taxi is the only means of transportation at an approximate cost of 17-20€.

Travelling to Chania 

By airplane Chania International Airport is the closest airport. Heraklion can be an alternative but a bus journey would take 3 hours. There are direct charter and scheduled flights connecting Chania with many European cities carried out by RYANAIR and Easyjet and others. Please contact your travel agent for details about charter flight schedules. Domestic flights from the Athens International Airport are also frequent and are carried out by Olympics and Aegean Airlines.



By ferry Ferries to Chania (Souda port) leave from Athens (Piraeus port) on a daily basis. The overnight/daytime trip with ANEK lines takes about 9 hours. Please check the web sites for ferry schedules. Also note that there is a direct bus service connecting Athens International Airport with Piraeus port. More information about public transport in Athens can be found here. Chania can be reached by coach from the city of Heraklion situated 145 km (90 miles) from Chania. The bus fare is about 9 Euros and takes about 2.5 hours. The taxi costs approximately 80 Euros. Heraklion, being the biggest city of Crete, is directly connected with charter/scheduled flights with many European cities. Flights to/from Athens are also frequent. Ferries from Piraeus travel to Heraklion every day. The overnight/daytime trip with MINOAN lines takes between 7-8 hours.



Weather / Climate The climate is relatively mild, Mediterranean. During the fall and winter months north and northwest winds dominate, while in the summer the ill winds make it enjoyable. But the divine gift of the eternal sunshine allows one to start their vacation from March and end it at the end of October. Chania has the largest amount of water in Crete (65%), and for this there is rich vegetation of plants and fruitful trees (citrus trees, olives, vines etc.) as well as semitropicals. The very clean beaches of Chania win always the "blue flags" of Europe and are accessible for all ages throughout the year.

Abstracts 1

Evaluating the use of open-source GIS Technologies for advancing SDI adoption as a precursor to improving environmental management practices in Nigeria

Warekuromor Tubolayefa1 1

PhD in the Geography Environment and Disaster Management, Coventry University, United Kingdom

Abstract Issues of pollution and environmental degradation are fundamental concerns to both developing and developed countries. Nigeria is an oil producing country with high rates of gas flares, indiscriminate waste disposal and oil spills. These events pose significant environmental impacts on the land, water, biodiversity, air as well as the socio-economic wellbeing of the people. A number of strategies like Environmental impact assessments (EIA) have been implemented to identify possible impacts of development projects on the environment and propose alternative as well as mitigation measures to improve environmental performance. However, little or no success has been recorded. Poor access to accurate data as well as the issues faced with data integration and analysis has been documented to impair the quality of impacts predicted as well as the quality environmental management decisions made. The emergent Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) in Nigeria called the National Geographic Data Infrastructure (NGDI) has been insufficient to support the spatial data needs for these environmental management protocols. The NGDI clearinghouse which is meant to facilitate data access is not fully operational. This paper explores the prospects of open-source Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technologies in advancing SDI implementation and adoption as a precursor to improving environmental management protocols in Nigeria. It presents a standardized model for SDI-GIS integration using web services to improve spatial data access, integration, analysis, sharing and collaboration. Open source software was utilized for the design, implementation and evaluation of the model as it is cost effective and widely applicable. Argo UML was used of the design and evaluation of the use-cases and conceptual framework. QGIS provided a sufficient platform for the development of the spatial database with ample links to Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standard Web Map Service (WMS), Web Features Service (WFS) and Web Catalogue Service (CS-W) as well as the postgres sever where the spatial data sets are stored using post gis for this study.

2

GIS-based hydrological modeling using the distributed model Arc SWAT – Limnatis river basin case study.

Papatheodoulou Athina 1 1

The Cyprus Conservation Foundation-Terra Cypria

Abstract The European Commission released in November 2012 a “Blueprint” to safeguard Europe’s waters that outlines strategies for water resources management at European level. The Blueprint’s objectives stressed the importance of ensuring the quality of water resources based on the experience taken of the evaluation for the implementation progress of the Water Framework Directive. Progress towards the objective of good status by 2015 is expected, but it will not be achieved for a significant proportion of water bodies. In regards to Cyprus about 55% of the 216 river water bodies were classified in lower than good state. The use of models for addressing different dimensions in river water quality management starting from hydrological modeling to policy making has become widely established from a small catchment level to continental level. As a contribution to the understanding of the role of various river water quality parameters, the role of hydrology was investigated within a distributed modeling approach. SWAT model was selected to predict the impact of hydrology in a watershed with varying soils, land use and management conditions. The river basin of Limnatis in Limassol district-Cyprus was used as a pilot basin for the application of the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The basin was monitored for a period of 19 months at a biweekly basis and the data retrieved in combination to historical data were used to predict and understand the fate of water using SWAT.

3

Monitoring of the most harmful pests in forests of Slovakia using Web GIS application 1

C. Nikolov , M. Kajba, M. Dubec, A. Kunca, J. Vakula, A. Gubka, M. Zúbrik 1

Inspector of Forest Protection Service (FPS), National Forest Centre, Forest Research Institute Zvolen, 22 T. G. Masaryka, 960 92 Zvolen, Slovakia

Abstract Complex influence of insect pests affecting in parallel or subsequently is the most important problem in the forest protection. In the recent years the insect damage in forests of Slovakia rapidly increased and the current bark beetle outbreak is the largest and most severe in recorded history. The total damage caused by bark beetles in 2008 – 2014 exceeded wind damage, historically the most destructive agent in Slovakia. The most abundant species contributing on damages are Ipstypographus and Pytiogeneschalcographus. Non-native tree-feeding insects are of great concern for forest ecosystems in Slovakia. In the last decade serious damages caused by non-native species Ipsduplicatus, Xylosandrusgermanus and Dreyfusianordmannianae were recorded. Many of the destructive forest pests introduced into Slovakia inhabit the region. There is a need for managing and displaying the distribution of the most harmful forest pests at both spatial and temporal scales. To collect the data on the presence, distribution and abundance of approximately twenty the most harmful species of forest pests, we are developing an online Web GIS application using ArcGIS API. Data on the incidence of harmful agents into the system will be recorded by specialists of Forest Protection Service, foresters and public users. Monitored pests will be described on the project website. This will simplify identification of monitored pests. We expect that the improved web-based data collection tools will result in increased data availability and thereby new opportunities for risk assessment. Based on spatially recorded data we may identify, understand and model patterns of insect pests spreading and so predict the future population increases and point the areas where the pest management should be carried out to prevent the mass outbreak of these pests. Foresters and researchers will take great advantage of a variety information which provides critical implications for forest management and decisions making. Developed GIS application will enable using of advanced GIS functionalities to a broader user spectrum without need for specialized GIS software; only standard information infrastructure (basic hardware, software and Internet connection) will be required. Keywords: web GIS application, forest insect pests, monitoring

4

Spatial consciousness… the missing link?

Panayiotis Partsinevelos1 1

Asst. Professor, Technical University of Crete, Dept. of Mineral Resources Engineering

Abstract Geographic information systems in terms of software, tools and usage have been around for the last decades without capitalizing on the significant technological investment. However, other geography related applications thrive in acceptance and application wealth, yet their spatial components remain discrete. In terms of joining the gap between applications and spatial understanding, the challenge to stimulate spatial consciousness rises. Geography is usually taught as a static, map based classification of the world, yet location based analysis and association are essential to facilitate socially and historically aware people. Location is of outmost importance in our identity, world perception and relations, as the Earth moves in terms of space and time. In the direction of broadening the applicability of spatial related prospective, three-dimensional interaction, gestural interfaces, tangible GIS, non traditional types of queries and spatial cognition experiments are demonstrated in an attempt to bridge the aforementioned gap.

5

Anthropogenic impact on the seawater intrusion rate and the coastal water pollution Stavroulakis G. Professor of Water & Soil Resources Quality Control at the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, School of Applied Sciences, Technological Educational Institute of Crete

Abstract A 7 year survey based on the effect of pumping rate on both water quality and Sea water intrusion was conducted in the hydrological basin of Kaina’s well in the region of Chania, Crete. Water samples from the well in Kaina- Vamos were collected throughout the period from 2003 to 2010. The measured values of certain chemical and microbiological qualitative parameters were below the limits of the current national regulations indicating the absence of human pollution or contamination agent in the hydrological basin. However, the concurrent increase of EC and Cl+, Na+, Ca2+, K+ concentration due to seawater intrusion was caused by the overexploitation of the aquifer. The study of the aquifer indicated a remarkable self regulatory capacity during the winter period which can be supported by further pumping reduction to less than 30.000 m3 per month. The central urban runoff pipe outlet of the city of Chania is located in the west side of the city, on the coastal area of Koum Kapi, close to a beach used for swimming by the public. Throughout the 2012-14 period, water samples were collected from the central urban runoff pipe outlet, in the framework of ARCHIMEDES ΙΙΙ project. Seawater samples were also collected from the coastal area of Koum Kapi, 5m, 15m and 30m away from the urban runoff pipe outlet. The high level of the pollution load measured in the urban runoff pipe outlet, was reduced by 90-97% in a vertical distance of 5m from the pipe outlet and at 0.7m depth. A diffusion model - based on additional data obtained from pollution diffusion measurements at each side of the pipe - could support decision makers to prevent future coastal water pollution.

6

Case Study: Ecological status of Gallikos river basin

Kourliti E.3, Georgiadis K.3, Gani M.A3, Apostolidou A.3, Stefanidou A.3, Anagnostou F.3, Albanakis K2, 1

2

Lazaridou M. , Mattas Ch . 1

Department of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Department of Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki 3 Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Study Program “Ecological water quality and management at a river basin level” Schools of Biology, Geology and Civil Engineering, A.U.Th., GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece, 2014 2

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to assess the ecological status of Gallikos river basin, analyze the impacts of the human activities and evaluate the risk of failing to meet the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60 environmental objectives. Gallikos river is located at the northern part of Greece and is characterized by very low discharge. It originates from Kroussia Mountain and discharges into the Thermaikos Gulf (North Aegean Sea). The calculated total drainage area and the length of the main stream were 948.52 km2 and 65.8 km respectively. Protected areas represent 5.3% of the river basin. The total population of the area is 44.475 residents and almost half of them live in the city of Kilkis (23.717 residents). The municipality of Kilkis covers 78.5% of the area. Considering altitude, slope and geology as descriptors almost ¾ of the basin is described as hilly being dominated by slightly to strongly inclinations, over the underlying siliceous geological formations. Considering the descriptor catchment area, almost half of Gallikos river basin (43.8%) is drainaged through medium size basins of small and medium tributaries. In the river basin, there are significant pressures from point (domestic wastewater, livestock breeding extracts) and non–point (agricultural uses) sources of pollution as well as from morphological alterations (landscape alterations). The approximate hydrological balance for Gallikos river basin (1990-2000) was characterized as deficit since total water demands (36.8x106m3) were greater than the estimated water potential (35.1x106m3) mainly due to irrigation for agriculture use. Gallikos river drains major rural, agricultural, urban and industrial areas, carrying pollutant loads that come from domestic wastewaters, agricultural runoff, animal breeding and industrial activities. Kilkis and Kristoni are connected to sewage disposal system with secondary treatment. The rest of the settlements cover their needs by septic tanks bringing important pollution loads into the rivers of the basin. Livestock breeding activity was found as the most responsible for BOD immissions (89%); agriculture areas for TN (63.8%) and TP immissions (41.4%). In the latter case, domestic wastewater was responsible for 31.6% of TP immissions. Pressures caused by pollution sources (immissions loads of BOD, TN and TP) were compared to quality standards for drinking water and fish life and they were all identified as significant, since they exceeded the permitted levels of quality standards. Also, pressures from morphological alterations in surface and groundwater are significant as agricultural land use in Gallikos basin is 64.5% and 60% of Gallikos river runs through agricultural areas. On the basis of evaluating water quality, samples of water, fish and benthic macro invertebrates were collected from 14 sites of Gallikos river basin during the high flow season (May 2013). The 14 sites covered the whole surface of the river basin. They belonged to the main channel and the tributaries from the upper parts of the river as well as the lowland. The lowland part of the river was found to have high percentage of silt and sand.

In some sampling stations BOD, NO2-N, TSS and NH4 exceeded the permitted levels for fish life. In total 8 fish species were recorded. Benthic macroinvertebrates were used for monitoring the running water. According to Hellenic Evaluation System (HESY), the ecological quality was less than good at all sampling sites and according to the European multimetric index for Mediterranean countries (STARICMi), not so well adopted to the Greek rivers, the ecological quality was good only at two sites. Accordingly, the ecological status of Gallikos river basin was less than moderate based on HESY. The impacts from morphological alterations by human interferences are present in all the study area and risk highly not to achieve the environmental objectives set by WFD 2000/60 if immediate programme of measures is not followed. Pollution pressures cause probable impacts to the ecological quality but the risk not to achieve the environmental objectives set by WFD 2000/60 is medium. Thus a long term programme of measures is needed. DPSIR analysis (Driving forces – Pressures – State – Impacts – Responses) highlights the negative impacts on both people and environment and the complexity of water management issues as to degradation of the surface and underground water quality (untreated sewage, agriculture and industrial wastes) and its quantitative status (from over pumping for anthropogenic activities). An irreversible problem is the salinization because of the extensive subsidence along the coastal zone. A SWOT - analysis applied to Kilkis municipality recognized internal Strengths and Weaknesses and external Opportunities and Threats that have to be met in order to achieve the environmental objectives of the WFD.

7

Ecological evaluation of estuarine ecosystems close to the Gulf of Patras with the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Kiriakopoulou Niki Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) - Institute of Marine Biological Resources & Inland Waters (IMBRIW), University of Patras - School of Natural Sciences, Department of Biology, Division of Plant Biology email: [email protected]

Abstract In the present study an ecological evaluation of the estuary ecosystems of the rivers Evinos and Piros flowing into the Gulf of Patras was carried out. They constitute a combination of terrestrial and wetland areas with significant ecological value and functions. Evinos forms a typical delta unlike Piros, in the estuarine region of which the conditions do not favor such a process. The objectives of the study were: the recording and mapping of habitat types in each area with the use of GIS, the study of human activities and their impact on the structure of habitats, the assessment of their state with the use of indicators of ecological value and finally, the development of an appropriate management plan. For the accomplishment of this study visits to both estuarine ecosystems, photography and collection and identification of the plant material from the main vegetation types was performed. For the identification of habitat types the Technical Guide for Mapping of the network NATURA 2000 was used. To assess the ecological status of the areas concerned the criteria of diversity, naturalness, rarity, threat and replace ability were applied, at the level of habitats and their combinations, according to the Directive 92/43/EEC.

Moreover, the DPSIR (Drivers - Pressures - State - Impacts - Response) analysis was applied at the basin level of the studied rivers, with emphasis on their estuarine systems. The habitat types, the evaluation based on the criteria and the pressures-impacts on each of the studied areas were visualized into digital maps using GIS. 322 taxa were recorded for the Evinos delta and 225 for the mouth of Piros, of which 112 are common among the study areas. Description and mapping of 22 natural and 3 anthropogenic habitat types was carried out. The main alterations that were recorded as a result of long-term human presence are: the intense erosion and retreat of the coastline, the expansion of cultivated land at the expense of natural one and the strong water pollution. Assessment revealed that the habitats in both regions are at a moderate to good conservation status, with the area of Evinos receiving the highest rating concerning the above criteria (Figures 1 & 2).

The DPSIR framework analyzed the present state and highlighted the serious degradation that occurs in estuaries. In conclusion, the GIS are an important management tool, as they allow the continuous recording of the diachronic changes and the evaluation of the degree of deterioration of both estuary ecosystems in order to conserve and protect them.

Figure 1: Map presenting the total Conservation Interest of every habitat type of the Evinos delta. The bigger the total score for every habitat, the higher the CI [colours were used according to the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, red:1-5 (bad), orange:6-10 (poor), yellow:11-15 (moderate), green:16-20 (good), blue:21-25 (high)].

Figure 2: Map presenting the total Conservation Interest of every habitat type of the Piros estuary. The bigger the total score for every habitat, the higher the CI [colours were used according to the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, red:1-5 (bad), orange:6-10 (poor), yellow:11-15 (moderate), green:16-20 (good), blue:21-25 (high)].

8

Risk Assessment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in an Endemic Area, Central Iran: A Model for Early Warning System in the Country 1,2

1

3

1

Fatemeh Abedi Astaneh , Amir Ahmad Akhavan , Mohammd Reza Shirzadi , Yavar Rassi , 1 1 Mohammad Reza Yaghoobi-Ershadi , Ahmad Ali Hanafi-Bojd* 1

Department of Medical Entomology & Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2 Deputy for Health, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran 3 Zoonotic Department, Center of Disease Control (CDC), Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran 1 Department of Medical Entomology & Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, P.O.Box 6446, Tehran 14155, Iran. Tel.: 0098 21 42933167; Fax: 0098 21 88951393

1. Introduction and Objectives Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the 10 infectious diseases priorities in the world, 5th priority diseases in Qom Province. Current study was conducted to assess the risk of CL and to study some epidemiological aspects of the disease in Qom Province. 2. Materials & Methods This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted during 2013-14 Different data layers, including spatial distribution of vector, reservoir, and human cases, environmental and climatologically variables which seem to affect on CL transmission were prepared and stored in a database created in ArcGIS9.3. MaxEnt 3.3.3 model was used to determine the suitable ecological niches for main vector and reservoir of CL in the province level. Finally, spatial analysis and clustering methods were applied in ArcGIS9.3 to find hot spots and susceptible areas for establishing new foci of CL Qom Province. 3. Results During 2009-13 a total of 1767 CL cases were recorded in Qom Province, out of them 65% were male and 35% female. The most and the least cases were reported in 2010 and 2013, respectively. From these cases, 979 were living in Qom city and the remained in other parts of the province. Spatial distribution of CL cases across the province showed north-eastern and south-western quarters of Qom city were hot spots of the disease (P400 m (although marine mammals surveys are scarce at deep waters, bottlenose dolphin distribution in the Greek Seas is known not to exceed the 250 m isobaths) (Frantzis, 2009) where available sightings only referred to the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba; Meyen 1833), were considered as absence locations for the species. Table 1 Sightings of bottlenose dolphin used for analysis. Source Surveys by Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute and IFAW/MCR Song of the whale Research Team; Published references MEDIAS research surveys (HCMR unpublished data)

Period covered 1990-1999

Month 05-09

Sightings 82

2000-2014 2006-2013

05-09 05-09

163 31

Sardine probability of presence was available at an adequate spatial and temporal resolution for the entire Aegean and Ionian Seas from a published habitat suitability model (Tugores et al., 2011) and thus retrieved at the geographical coordinates of the respective marine mammals’ presence/absence records from the available annual maps of the entire Greek Seas. Similarly, we retrieved chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a in mg/m-3; http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov) as monthly averages and distance from the coast at the same grid resolution of 4x4 km as sardine probabilities. The final model was selected based on the minimization of the Akaike Information Criterion. The degree of smoothing was chosen based on the observed data and the restricted maximum likelihood estimation. The final model was evaluated for its predictive performance using the initial data (modeled dataset) in addition to records which were not included (non-modeled dataset) in model selection involving a) year 2014 and b) period 1990-1999. Due to lack of adequate satellite environmental data for the period 1990-1999, sardine probability of presence was estimated based on the respective available information for June and September 2003. For validation purposes, we estimated the receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under the curve (AUC). Sensitivity (proportion of observed positives that are correctly predicted) and specificity (proportion of observed negatives that are correctly predicted) indices were also used for model evaluation (Guisan & Zimmermann, 2000). The final model was applied in a predictive mode to obtain annual habitat suitability maps over a grid at a GIS resolution of 4 km, covering the entire Aegean and Ionian Seas (i.e. practically indicating areas with suitable conditions to support dolphins' presence) for the period 2003-2008. Subsequently, the mean average probability estimates and the respective standard deviation were estimated by means of GIS techniques at each grid point, and were the basis for defining preferential and occasional dolphins'

habitat (limits used for occasional: mean >0.25, standard deviation >0.05 and for preferential: mean >0.75, standard deviation Projected > National grids > Greek Grid).

Keywords: georeferenced, urban planning, Κτηματολόγιο ΑΕ, ΕΓΣΑ87

20

An outline of WWF Greece’s initiative for the conservation of island wetlands

Kaloust Paragamian WWF Greece, [email protected]

Abstract Since 2004 WWF Greece has been striving to document the importance and conservation needs of the islands’ wetlands of Greece, to raise awareness regarding their value and to promote their effective protection. Our project “Conservation of the Islands Wetlands of Greece” (2004-2013) initially focused on the Aegean Islands and later extended to Crete and Ionian Islands, involving, in essence, the whole of maritime Greece. Following extensive field work and intensive efforts to prevent their degradation and ensure their legal protection, a significant progress has been achieved: a) we have amassed precious knowledge regarding the status, importance and value of 806 wetlands larger than 0.1ha in 75 islands, b) the issue of their conservation has been introduced into public dialogue after persistent presentation of results at conferences, workshops with stakeholders, events for the general public, announcements to the media and intense use of social media, c) A large number of citizens and organizations have been mobilized within a network of wetlands monitoring for early detection of threats in 7 islands (Lemnos, Lesvos, Paros, Andros, Skyros, Kos, Crete) and more than 140 degradation cases across 13 islands were tackled by mobilizing the relevant authorities, d) Site specific management proposals were promoted for a series of wetlands and some of them are either being or in the process of being implemented such as actions at Moronis estuary and Malia river marsh in Crete, Adamas marsh in Milos and the total of natural wetlands of Paros, and e) Specific legal and management measures were promoted for their protection, both on a national and on a local scale, several of which were adopted for a large number of wetlands: establishment of a Wildlife Refuge in Lesvos (4 wetlands), inclusion of wetlands as protected areas in approved Open City Spatial Plans (47 wetlands on 6 islands), inclusion of wetlands in the Water Management Plans of Aegean and Crete water districts, provision for the protection of all island and mainland wetlands measuring up to 8 ha in surface area (Article 13) in the Biodiversity Law (3937/2011), and, following a successful public debate, the Presidential Decree "Approval of a list of small island wetlands, and provision of terms and conditions for the protection and conservation of small coastal wetlands included therein" was signed in June 2012 (Government Gazette AAP 229/19.06.2012), bringing 380 natural wetlands across 59 islands under a strict protection status. Furthermore, we brought to the spotlight the urgency to conserve the fragile island wetlands of the Mediterranean, through a resolution that was unanimously adopted on June 8th 2015 by the plenary of the 12th Conference of the Parties (COP12, Uruguay, 2-9 June) to the Convention on Wetlands of international significance (Ramsar, Iran, 1971).